In prior International patent application, No. PCT/US98/20813, published on 8th Apr. 1999 under No. WO 99/17330 (“The Earlier International Application”) we described and claimed.
a field effect emission device for a visual display comprising:                a substrate and        an emission layer on one face of the substrate, the emission layer having:                    a multiplicity of emitters and gates, arranged as an array of emission pixels and            conductive connections in the emission layer to the emitters and the gates,                        the substrate having:                    conductive vias provided through the substrate or at least a front layer thereof to at least some of the said conductive connections in the emission layer for electrical connection to their emitters and gates.                        
In this specification, we refer to the type of field emission device described in The Earlier International Application as the Front-Layer-Via FED Device.